Taras Szewczenko i działalność Bractwa Cyryla i Metodego w świetle wspomnień polskich studentów Uniwersytetu Kijowskiego

Abstract

Taras Shevchenko and activity of The Brotherhood of Cyril and Methodius in memories of Polish students of the Kyiv University

This paper presents the most famous conspiratorial, Ukrainian association in 19th century, seen from a perspective of representatives of Polish nation, struggling for freedom in the eastern lands of former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Brotherhood of Cyril and Methodius is a symbol of Ukrainians’ struggle for independent existence of Ukrainian culture in the middle of 19th century. Main activists of this secret association, with Taras Shevchenko, became an elite of Ukrainian society and heads of nation. Their activity makes very important chapter for Ukrainian historiography. Historians rarely have reached memories of Poles, which were living in Ukraine in 19th century. The Polish students (constituting a majority among students of the Kyiv University) have left several interesting historical records. Especially diary of Julian Belina Kędrzycki seems to be important, because he described his acquaintance with Taras Shevchenko and Mykola Kostomarov in 1846-1847. Another diarist, Zygmunt Miłkowski (writing under pseudonym Teodor Tomasz Jeż) came in the university a half year after members of the Brotherhood of Cyril and Methodius had been arrested. After years he wrote diaries, which are reflecting atmosphere in the Kyiv University and development of Polish and Ukrainian national movement. Some information are in works of other Polish students too, like: Franciszek Duchiński, Tadeusz Bobrowski, Leon Syroczyński and Franciszek Rawita-Gawroński.